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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23394970">Soren Alone</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastje/pseuds/toastje'>toastje</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hospitals, Paralysis, Soren (The Dragon Prince)-centric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:26:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,791</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23394970</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastje/pseuds/toastje</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Claudia's efforts were futile, and Soren is left with his thoughts on the hospital bed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Soren Alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He feels like a failure. Ever since he’s been brought in here he hasn’t been able to move an inch, completely reliant on the doctors and his sister. They call him a hero, but he knows he is not. When he tilts his head to the side - the only movement he’s capable of now - he can see the houses that are no more. When Claudia visits and the curtain gets drawn, he can see the people who were burned by his foolish arrogance. </p>
<p>He hears footsteps approaching the curtain and closes his eyes. Maybe if they think he’s asleep, he’ll be left alone. He’s tired of pretending everything is fine. He can hardly feel the mattress dip where his visitor is seated, but he knows by the sound of the springs creaking. “Hey, Sor Sor,” Claudia says softly. “I have to go back. Dad needs me.” He can hear the rustling of her sleeve, she’s probably fidgeting with her hair again. “I mean, I know you need me too, but maybe if I’m back there I can find a way to help you in the library.”</p>
<p>Soren doubts that. He had practically accepted he would be bedridden and useless for the rest of his life, but it seems like Claudia isn’t ready to give up on her pipe dream yet and he doesn’t want to crush her hope. The bed creaks again and not long later he can hear the curtains being drawn. He is once again alone.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>The next time the curtains are drawn, Soren is watching the sun set behind the rooftops. Sunset was one of the few things he looked forward to every day. Watching the colours bleed into each other before finally turning into a starry sky was absolutely stunning, and if he had been better with words maybe he could have written a poem about it. He supposes maybe this was his silver lining, getting time to see the everyday normalcies that he never stopped to look at.</p>
<p>There’s a tiny cough on his left and he turns his head towards the sound, it’s the nurse who has been taking care of him since he arrived. She’s carrying what he presumes is his dinner, and this, this is what he was dreading the most. He already felt humiliated with Claudia feeding him, but for a complete stranger to have to help him with such a basic task feels shameful. </p>
<p>“Sir knight…” she treads carefully when he stays silent. “I’ve brought your dinner, today it’s-”</p>
<p>“I’m not hungry,” Soren cuts in harshly. <em> Sir knight </em>. It feels like a mockery, what knight needs help with their own dinner?</p>
<p>She looks slightly taken aback, but not for long. “That’s very unfortunate for you,” she clips back. “It is imperative to your recovery to get enough nutrients.”</p>
<p>Soren scoffs. “My recovery?” he lashes out. “I think we both know I won’t recover. Ever.” The last word comes out particularly bitter, but the nurse seems to pay it no mind as she takes the chair next to his bed. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry for what’s happened to you,” she says softly. “You saved us from the dragon.” Soren wants to butt in to tell her that’s not really true. “And for that I am grateful. But right now your bones are still healing and your body needs strength for that. So you have to eat.”</p>
<p>It doesn’t seem like she’s going to give up, and being force-fed doesn’t seem particularly appealing to Soren. He lets out a sigh; he’s already lost everything, what more is his dignity?</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>The days seem to drag on endlessly with nothing to do. All he can do is sleep, eat, look outside, try to nap a bit and repeat. He’s starting to get bored out of his mind and can’t even complain about it to Claudia. He hears the curtain, and judging by the position of the Sun it must be around noon. Lunch time. He turns his head to the nurse whose name he still hasn’t asked. That’s probably rude, isn’t it? Maybe he should introduce himself. But he’s already been here over two weeks so to only exchange names now would be slightly awkward. </p>
<p>“Why do you have a book?” he blurts out when he sees her placing one on the bedside table. She chuckles softly and starts on their lunch time routine. “I figured that our aspiring poet might want to read something for a change.”</p>
<p>Is she teasing him? Soren’s been told he’s dense before, but there doesn’t seem to be any malice in her voice. </p>
<p>When he’s finished eating, she places the book in front of him and opens it on the first page. He looks at her in confusion as she takes out her own lunch, seemingly unbothered. Just as she’s about to take a bite, she catches his stare. “Sorry, do you not like reading?”</p>
<p>Does he? He’s never really read much, he preferred to spend time outside doing literally anything else, but now there isn’t much else to do. “No, it’s fine. I mean. Thank you. What’s it about?”</p>
<p>Her eyes light up and the sandwich she prepared for lunch almost fell out of her lap. “Oh it’s my absolute favourite,” she exclaims. “It’s about the Orphan Queen and her adventures, I must have read it at least seven times by now!” When the doctor peeks inside the curtain she quietens down with a bashful smile. “You can tell me when I need to turn the page for you,” she says and that’s that, she starts eating her lunch. </p>
<p>He hasn’t read a single paragraph before he turns back to her. “Don’t you have other patients to tend to?”</p>
<p>It takes her a moment to reply, swallowing down her bite. “I’m on my lunch break right now.”</p>
<p>“You’re spending your break with a patient?” Soren asks incredulously. </p>
<p>“If you’re not going to read I wouldn’t get too used to it,” she humphs. </p>
<p>Soren looks back at the page, it sure beats looking at the same view outside his window. </p>
<p>When he finishes the first two pages, he hums and she turns the page for him. It’s not long before he’s hooked and he understands how Callum could lose himself so much in the books he reads. Soren’s almost a little disappointed when the nurse announces her break is over and takes the book from him. He can continue tomorrow, she promises.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>It turns into another routine for them. After lunch the nurse, Meera, he now knows, will set the book in front of him so he can read a few pages while she’s on break. If he’s lucky she’ll also stick around after dinner and he can read some more until it gets too dark to make out the words. This afternoon however, she doesn’t put the book in front of him immediately. “You miss her, right?” she asks, and for a moment Soren is confused by who she means. “Would you like to write her?” Meera sits down next to him with a piece of parchment and a quill in her lap. </p>
<p>“I do,” he admits. They’ve always been together, he <em> does </em> miss her. </p>
<p>“She’s your sister, isn’t she?” Meera asks carefully, as if she’s not completely sure. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Soren grins despite the whole situation. “She’s… well, she’s Claudia. She’s a little odd but she’s my sister, you know?” He looks up at Meera. “I guess she’s the most important person in my life,” he admits softly.</p>
<p>Meera gives him a reassuring smile. “I’ll write for you?” He nods.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>
  <em> Hey Clauds, </em>
</p>
<p><em> I’m writing to you, well I mean I’m not really the one writing, Meera’s writing this (she’s a nurse here) because well… I miss you. I hope you’re doing well. Are you? How’s dad? Did he ask about me?<br/></em> <em>I’m okay, I guess. About as okay as it gets in this situation. The doctor says I’m healing well so I hope that means I’ll be able to travel soon.<br/></em> <em> Oh also, I made another poem, you’ll be the first to hear (well technically second) (and technically I suppose you’re not hearing it but reading…) </em></p>
<p><em> Outside my window</em><br/><em>Life moves on, and on, and on<br/></em> <em> I alone am stuck</em></p>
<p>
  <em> Hearing that back now… It sounds a bit pathetic, doesn’t it? But don’t worry too much about me, I’m fine! </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Soren </em>
</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Claudia <em> does </em> sound worried in her letter back, even though he explicitly told her not to be. Her letter is short, and judging by the sloppy writing written in a hurry. She writes that she found a cure, some old dark magic ritual. It makes him shiver. That there will be a carriage to take him home on the day of the new Moon. That’s soon, sooner than he expected. That she has more pressing matters to tend to and cannot make the trip herself. What those matters are, she doesn’t specify. He hopes it’s nothing bad, he’s not around to protect her now.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>He’s going home tomorrow. The carriage from the palace arrived not long ago, and they told him they would leave the next morning at daybreak. Claudia says they can fix him, that he’ll be able to walk and swing a sword again. But in some twisted way he feels like he’ll miss it here. Life is simpler here. No one expects anything from him and he doesn’t need to impress anyone or make someone proud. While he does get bored with the lack of things to do, he loves it when Meera takes time to read with him. She’s sweet, he thinks he’ll miss her.</p>
<p>Just then, she enters through the curtain. He’s lucky, maybe he can finish the chapter before the sun goes down. “I heard you’re going back,” she says as she puts the book in front of him, flipping to the correct page. </p>
<p>Soren hums, eager to get back to reading.</p>
<p>“You can keep it, if you want. I’ve already read it so many times.”</p>
<p>He looks up at that. Isn’t this her favourite book? They probably have another copy in the library at home. Meera must sense his confusion because she quickly puts her hand on his shoulder - he can’t even feel it - and smiles. “I’ve already read it so many times, I think I know it by heart now.” She laughs. It’s a very pretty sound, Soren thinks. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” he replies. It sounds kind of lame to him. And without thinking he says: “I’ll return it to you once I finish it.” He doesn’t know what possessed him to say that. The chances of him returning to this town are slim, even if he can be healed.</p>
<p>“I’ll look forward to that.” There’s a small smile playing on her lips.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>someone pls get the title reference</p></blockquote></div></div>
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